A Hero's Journey
by Hylia'sWarriorQueen
Summary: Hyrule is a land of prosperity and beauty. There is peace. However, peace is not destined to last. War looms at the edges of society. A Hero must arise. This is the story, of the Hero of the Resistance. This is a Hero's Journey. Slight AUish (events of TP never happened). More information available on profile. First chapter is preface.
1. Preface

**A Hero's Journey – Preface**

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_This is Hyrule. It is home to many people. The Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, Kokiri and Gerudo have lived together in harmony for a long time. Hyrule is at peace. _

_The Kokiri have long taken refuge in the forest and to some degree, many say they no longer dwell in this world. The Zoras dwell in their domain, just beyond the river. The Gorons inhabit Death Mountain and their City. The Gerudo remain in their home of the desert. _

_The Hylians reside in Castle Town and some have taken to living in the former Sheikah Village, Kakariko. The Hylian royal line has been lost to the pages of history and democracy reigns supreme. _

_The Mirror of Twilight was once a gateway between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. The rulers of both realms decided for the safety of their own people, the gateway would be broken. They never realize that some of the Twili people were in Hyrule when the Mirror was broken. It cut them off from their own home._

_Everyone envisions Hyrule as the perfect home. It is beautiful, prosperous, peaceful, vast, striking, abundant, rich, adaptable and joyous. No one would dare threaten the peace of the perfect land that was once promised by the Goddesses. _

_The Goddesses Nayru, Farore and Din created Hyrule to be perfect. Hylia brought her people to the land to live in freedom and prosperity. The Goddesses decreed that this land was blessed. _

_Every one hundred years a man is born into the all Gerudo race. He becomes their king. It is known that the genes of a terrible and ancient evil pass down through the Gerudo. Any time this gene was ever passed into a man, terrible things have occurred. Hylians have kept peace with the Gerudo for so long, but everything has an ending._

_The new leader of the Gerudo readies his people for war. The Hylians will fall and the Gerudo will gain power. Unless a Hero arises, the promised land of Hyrule will fall. _

_This is the story of our hero and his treacherous journey to free his land. _

_This is a Hero's Journey._

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_WORD COUNT: 357_

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**So folks that's the preface for A Hero's Journey. I'll have the first chapter posted later today. The purpose of this was to set the scene for the story and to give some basic information. If you want more information, take a look at the section on my profile dedicated to _A Hero__'s Journey. _**

**Hope the story interests you :) **

**Drop me a PM or a review any time :)**

**Keep Fighting!**

**~ HWQ/Nicole ~**


	2. I - Gerudo Takeover and Transformation

**A Hero's Journey - Chapter I - Gerudo Takeover and the Transformation**

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Zelda was standing and waiting for her friends at Malon's locker at the start of lunch. Malon was the first to arrive, followed closely by their other friends Midna, Karane and little Saria. The girls waited for Malon to change out her books for her lunch and then visited each of the other girls' lockers.

Malon had dark red hair and ocean blue eyes. Karane was also a red head, but her hair was lighter and her blue eyes were more of the colour of the sky, not the ocean. Saria had green hair and eyes. Midna was another red head, with dark red hair with some lighter streaks and ruby red eyes. Zelda was the only blonde, also with blue eyes. Her eyes seemed to change between blue and purple.

Midna linked an arm with Zelda after they finished up at Saria's locker and were headed for the courtyard. "How was science Zellie?"

"It was science." Zelda replied neutrally. "I've been taking the same courses since I was nine, is there no variety?" She groaned and kept trudging along.

Saria fell into step next to them. "Aw Zel I've been here that long too. I know how you feel."

Midna rolled her eyes. "Drama queens. I always forget you two have been friends that long."

"Yeah. About as long as Zelda and Link." Saria giggled nudging said girl.

Zelda blushed. "Oh lay off it you two. We're just friends. I think he likes Ilia anyways."

Midna laughed. "Ilia Ordona? Sure she's sweet and nice," Zelda cut her off.

"Down to earth, gentle, smart, patient and perfect. What chance do I stand?"

Malon turned so she was walking backwards, a sly smile on her face. "Aw did Zellie just admit to liking Link."

Karane laughed. "By putting herself down, and raising Ilia's pedestal even higher, yeah she kind of did."

Zelda blushed and looked away. "Shut up. How come you guys never get teased?"

Saria gave her an exasperated look. "Do you even remember this morning's digs at Nate and I? Besides Malon and Ryder are actually going out so there isn't much we can do there, and if I heard correctly," Saria cast Midna a sly glance, "Sheik asked out Midna after school yesterday."

Midna rolled her eyes. "So what. I've basically been going out with the guy for two years anyways."

Karane laughed again. "You guys are acting like a bunch of 14 year-olds."

Malon, in response, stuck her tongue out childishly.

Zelda giggled and pushed open the doors to the courtyard. Hylia's Academy consisted of two buildings that met surrounding the courtyard, The Knight's Academy, where all or most of the guys attended, and Hylia's Grace Academy, where all the girls and some guys attended. This courtyard was the dividing line between the two campuses with the residential buildings to the south on the grounds. The courtyard lined the science hallway of the Grace Academy so their windows were facing outwards.

Their guy friends from the Knight's Academy were lounging around one of the picnic tables, laughing and having a good time. Link, with his windswept blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes was seated on the bench next Nate. Nate has black hair and bright green eyes. Pipit was sitting on the edge of the table, sideways to Link and Nate. He has brown hair and blue eyes. Sheik, blonde hair and red eyes, was leaning up against the other end of the table. Ryder was seated on the side opposite Link and Nate.

Sheik saw them first. His eyes lit up and he ran over to Midna. He pulled her in for a hug and swung her around. Midna screamed happily, laughing even after he put her down and pulled her in for a kiss. The other girls just cooed at them. Zelda walked over and slid onto the bench next to Link with a smile. Link gave her his signature half-smile. Zelda melted a little. Nate flashed her a cheeky grin that Link couldn't see and slid off the other end of the bench. Zelda resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

They ate lunch together, talking and laughing about stupid things. Eventually Link excused himself and the other guys followed. Link said that the sword instructor wanted him to help teach a class after lunch for newer recruits.

"He values your blade that much?" Saria asked as Nate helped her up from her seat on the ground.

Link scratched the back of his head and looked a little bashful. "I suppose. I really should go though. Seeya around girls." He waved and turned to jog off.

Ryder chuckled. "We should go or he'll never remember the order of which he has to teach the thrusts."

Malon leaned up and pecked him on the lips. Sheik kissed Midna again before following after Link. Karane approached Pipit and gave him her signature goodbye, a hard punch to the arm. He grinned and rubbed the spot before shoulder bumping her. She giggled. Nate threw an arm half around Saria and gave her a side hug. Saria rolled her eyes.

"That's a hug? Ugh." She turned and hugged him for real. Nate's cheeks tinted pink, but he managed to hug the girl back.

Midna bumped Zelda's shoulder softly as Nate and Ryder, the last of the boys, walked away. "Sad you didn't get a kiss Zellie?"

"Shut up Mid!" She groaned. "We're just friends!"

"To him." Malon giggled.

"Sh." Saria commanded suddenly. Her eyes whipped around the courtyard warily. "Does it seem too quiet to anyone else?"

Karane looked around, eyes narrowing. "There is no one else here. We're the only ones. I can't even see anyone in the classroom."

Midna frowned. "Did we miss a memo or something? I don't recall that there was an off site excursion planned for today..."

Zelda's breath caught. "There wasn't. Something is wrong."

Just as the words left her lips, all the windows in the science hallways lining the courtyard had exploded outwards, sending glass flying everywhere. The girls had enough sense to hit the ground quickly. The pounding of footsteps signified the return of the guys. They ran over to the girls and helped them get to their feet, picking shattered glass from around them, in their hair and such.

"Are you okay?" Nate asked, as he helped Saria gently to her feet.

"I think we're good." She replied, her eyes drifting to the shattered windows. Smoke was curling off the frames, signifying they'd been blown off by a bomb of sorts.

"Who would attack a private school?" Pipit mumbled.

"I don't think it's just the school guys." Zelda's voice nearly died at her lips. She pointed a shaking hand towards the city just on the other side of the school's walls. Smoke from multiple fires was curling up into the air all around the city.

"What if people need help?" Malon mumbled. Malon had always had a knack for healing.

"We should go check it out." Sheik said gravely.

"Let's arm ourselves first." Link said. "Follow us to our school's armory."

The group hastily set out for the armory. Ryder and Pipit equipped themselves with light shields and heavy swords. Nate went in favour of a light sword and heavy shield. Sheik went typical Sheikah, knives, knives, knives and more knives. Link took on a long, balanced sword and sturdy shield.

They glanced at the girls hesitantly. Karane rolled her eyes and took up a light sword and sturdy shield. Malon and Zelda both went with a bow and a quiver each. Saria took two longish knives. Midna just smirked.

"I've been practicing this trick." She summoned the shadows in the room, a power of the Twili, and they fashioned into twin katanas.

Sheik laughed. "That's my girl."

"We should move. People will need help." Link said firmly. Any signs of the lighthearted humor were gone from his expression.

"Aye aye Captain Link." Nate laughed. He quickly sobered up. "Where to first?"

"The Buildings of Parliament." Zelda blurted out. She was surprised when everyone just nodded and turned to head out.

The rest of the gang made it to the edge of the walls before Zelda fell behind. Her leg had a gash on it where a piece of broken glass had torn her jeans and cut her. Everyone, except Link, slipped out of the gates without noticing that she was falling behind.

Zelda would have died had Link not turned and started to ask her something before settling for tackling her. They rolled harshly, and came to rest a few feet away. She scowled, about to scold Link when he eyes fixed on something behind him.

A Gerudo warrior woman had come up behind Zelda and swung her rapier down where she was standing. By tackling her, Link had pulled her out of harm's way.

Link stood roughly, leaving Zelda on the ground, still surprised. He drew his sword angrily. "What's going on?"

"Hylians." The woman scoffed switched her sword from right to left and back. "So ignorant. If you insist I suppose a bunch of kids couldn't do much to stop us. This is the big coop. The Gerudo are taking over. The rule by the Hylians is over. Ganondorf will be king, and all of Hyrule will bow. We will exterminate the hero today so nothing can stop us. Are you ready to die boy?"

"Hero?" Link's eyes widened as the woman advanced viciously. A blur tore across the clearing as Sheik cut in front of his best friend and blocked the blow across his crossed knives with a very angry look on his face. Link's voice dropped. "I knew it. That's why the dreams..."

"Do something!" Sheik yelled. He pushed the woman off but she came at them again. The boys split up and the woman went after Link.

He parried her blow and twisted, thrusting his sword down at her head. She staggered backwards and barely got her blade up in time to block. He pressed hard, but the woman slid back around him, unlocking their blades, and went in for a slash. Link turned and the blade clanged on his shield. He continued his non-relenting attacks.

Zelda shakily raised her bow. Better to end this now than later. She notched an arrow and carefully took aim. The dueling pair was spinning so quickly, Zelda's shot would have to be perfect if she wanted to miss Link. Closing her eyes for a moment, she drew a shaky breath. Then she refocused, drew and fired.

Link stood dumbfounded as his foe let out a screech of pain and crumpled to the ground, and her death. He looked past her and saw Zelda hesitantly lower her bow. "Zelda?"

"I had to. It ended faster. But, I just... I just..." The girl's eyes were wide.

"Zel." Link rushed forward and caught her as her knees buckled.

"What was that all about?" Ryder yelled as the rest of the gang approached.

"I don't think they're just myths anymore guys." Saria murmured quietly. Zelda stood, pulling Link up with her.

"What?" Eight surprised voices echoed.

Link sighed. "She's right. That Gerudo, she called me the Hero. Like the Hero of Time's reincarnation. And I don't think she's wrong. I'm named after the guy for goddesses sake!"

"He's right. I think Link is the Hero of Time reincarnated. The legend repeats itself here. We need to get to the Temple of Time. We need the Master Sword." Saria said rigidly.

"We can't all go." Pipit said.

"I need to stay behind." Malon said shutting her eyes. Ryder looked at his girlfriend like she was crazy. "We can use the ranch to gather the survivors from the city. Then, we can train them. Link will need allies."

"The Buildings of Parliament?" Zelda asked weakly.

Midna frowned. "Zelda, it's up in flames. We could see it from the edge of the schoolyard. No one could've survived that."

"I'm with Malon. I don't need to go, besides I could help the women learn to fight." Karane said firmly.

"I'm there too." Pipit agreed.

"And me." Ryder added.

Link turned to the other five. "Then I guess we go to Temple and get the sword, then we'll go from there."

The group broke and Zelda's group headed for the temple. They snuck through back alleys and down streets where every building had been burned to the ground.

It made everyone sick seeing this destruction. An unpleasant silence settled over them as they surveyed the wreckage. Any survivors were told to flee to Lon Lon Ranch where they could be safe. They could only hope that the ranch was secure and the survivors from the academy could protect them.

With only a couple minutes walk left to the temple, they came across a group of Gerudo. Three women held back an older man who was screaming a girl's name. Another Gerudo was dragging off the girl in question.

The woman dragging the girl scoffed. "Ganondorf's orders. All girls with pointy ears between 10 and 20 are to be killed immediately."

Zelda gasped silently and her hands flew to her ears. The others' eyes widened. Zelda cringed harshly as she witnessed her second death as the Gerudo slit the throat of the young girl, who could be no more than 11.

They hurried the rest of the way, making sure to stay out of sight if the Gerudo, who were patrolling the city for survivors. Zelda was shivering and was being shielded by Link and Nate the entire way, to protect her because of her ears. They slipped silently into the Temple of Time and slid the massive bolt across, locking the door.

Zelda sunk shakily to the floor, her hands hovering at her ears. Saria and Midna sat on either side of her.

Saria bit her lip. "Zelda needs a disguise. Her ears will make her a target. He's trying to get rid of the Princess of Destiny. Notably, she has pointy ears. Not that I think Zel is the princess, no offence," Zelda shook her head, fine. "The old princess disguised herself as a Sheikah named Sheik, but..." She trailed off, Sheik catching her off guard.

"Maybe she could still disguise herself as a Sheikah." Sheik smirked. Zelda stood up in surprise. "Hold still and don't freak out." He shut his eyes and Zelda became incased in white light.

When the light cleared, Sheik staggered, drained, and Link steadied him. Zelda was wearing Sheikah warrior garb complete with the wraps and bandages that covered half her face. Her hair was no longer honey blonde, but longer, braided and midnight black. When she opened her eyes they were as red as Sheik's.

"Whoa." Midna exclaimed rising and surveying her friend.

"Sheik? Did you do this?" Zelda asked, only it wasn't her voice. It was a different voice but still held that level of charm. She gasped.

Sheik grinned cheekily. "Pretty good huh? That's Sheikah magic for you. There's another thing I should do." He closed his eyes again and this time he was engulfed in light.

He appeared in Sheikah warrior garb too. His messily trimmed hair still falling in his eyes but he look more like a real Sheikah now. He grinned and nodded. "Love that trick."

Midna shook her head and engulfed herself in the shadows. She reappeared wearing a black jumpsuit with long pant legs and short sleeves. Her shadowy swords were slung across her back and grey mask covered half her face. Her lips played into a smirk.

"We obviously can't call Zelda, Zelda now, and we can't call her Sheik either. So..?" Nate pointed out.

Zelda spoke quietly, and Saria still flinched like she wasn't used to this Zelda. "Aria. It'll do."

"Alright then." Link gave her a half-grin. "Let's go get me a sword."

They entered the chamber of the Master Sword and everyone's breath was taken away. Stained glass windows covered nearly every wall, depicting the story of the Hero. Link approached the stone alter which held the sword. He inhaled and gripped the sword handle.

When he drew the sword three bursts of light happened. Link, Saria and Nate were all engulfed in light. The light cleared first around Saria and Nate. When it cleared Saria was staring at her hands like it wasn't her.

Her green hair was shorter and pulled back by a dark green band. She wore a black shirt and dark green spandex shorts and boots up to mid thigh. A knife sheath lined each boot. She let out a gasp, a wide bracelet had appeared too, decorated with the symbol of the forest and the forest temple.

Nate had changed too. He now wore black slacks, a purple t-shirt which was covered by a set of lightweight metal armor, which gave him almost perfect movement. Sturdy boots adorned his feet and his shield was now embroidered with the knight's crest and the symbol of the royal family.

A small burst of light broke off and headed for Sheik, he backed up in surprise, but it focused in his wrist and a bracelet carrying the symbol of the shadow temple and Sheikah appeared. Three more bursts broke off and disappeared through windows, headed off to who knows where.

Finally the light around Link cleared and everyone gasped. The Master Sword was raised above his head and his shield had changed into the legendary shield the Hero wore, but that wasn't surprising overall. He had on a floppy cap of some kind, green to match a green tunic and tan pants. He wore sturdy brown boots and chainmail underneath his tunic. Miraculously, both ears were now pierced with small blue rings as well.

"Link..." Midna gasped. "You look just like the Hero from the legend!"

"Did the Master Sword do this?" Saria asked, not knowing where to be more amazed, at her transformation or at Link's.

Link turned, sheathed the sword and gave a solemn look. "Νo. Rauru, the sage of light did. I know what we have to do. First we journey to the forest and we must defeated the beast that dwells deep in the forest temple and awaken the sage if the forest."

No one protested. After all, how could they argue with a guy that was apparently just accepted as the new hero?

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_WORD COUNT: __3,156 words_

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**Tah-dah! First chapter! It jumps straight into the excitement here. So our heroes, Link, Sheik, Nate, Saria, Midna and Aria (Zelda) are going to travel around Hyrule kicking Gerudo butt! Not quite but still :) If you have any questions feel free to ask me and I'll answer to the best of my ****ability. Also feel free to check out the section on my profile dedicated to A Hero's Journey if you want to learn something or don't feel like asking me your question. **

**This is just a little taste of what I hope the whole story holds. My next update will be on September 10****th. Here's the title of the next chapter.**

**Chapter II - The Ocarina of Time and The Goddess Harp**

**Drop me a PM or review any time :)**

**Keep Fighting!**

**~ HWQ/Nicole ~**


	3. II - Ocarina of Time and Goddess Harp

**A Hero's Journey - Chapter II - The Ocarina of Time and the Goddess Harp**

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As they slipped out of the temple Link went more in depth to the vision he received from Rauru when he was engulfed in light. Rauru had revealed himself as the immortal sage of light who resided in the Light Temple in the sacred realm. He was tasked with protecting the place from evil. He had informed Link to stop Ganondorf, who has the Triforce of Power; he would need the help of the other five sages.

Link explained that the sages would fight with them in their final battle, powering up Link, and the Triforce of Courage enough to deal the final blow with the Master Sword.

Link bit his lip. "Rauru also said there was a chance it wouldn't do it. He said that if Ganondorf is as strong as we think he is, it'll be a lot harder and we may need extra help. It also explains why Ganon was trying to kill of the Princess if Destiny."

Saria gasped. "I get it! Since the Princess has the Triforce of Wisdom, she could increase the Hero's power!"

Link nodded. "That's half of it. That would increase the powers over the light half of the world and banish Ganon from our world, but his presence would still linger in the shadows so we would need the Twilight Princess as well."

"The gates to the realm of Twilight have been sealed since I was young. I was one of the few Twili still in this realm. The chance we'll find the Princess here, slim to none. We'll have to hope the power of the Master Sword is enough." Midna remarked gravely.

Link nodded swiftly. "Rauru also said I'm going to need two more things."

"Can I make a wild guess?" Zelda-no Aria asked. Link nodded. "The Ocarina of Time and the Goddess Harp."

Link looked at her in surprise. "Ze-" he cut himself off mid sentence and corrected himself. "Aria how did you know?"

Aria glanced down. "I had a dream a couple of weeks ago. I was playing a harp, The Goddess Harp, with some faceless person who was playing the Ocarina of Time. I think that was supposed to be you, Link."

"Wait do you know the songs I'm supposed to learn? I asked Rauru about it but he said he couldn't teach me and only the one chosen by the goddess could teach me." Link asked.

Aria smiled softly. "In the dream we played a song. I still remember the song. I think if the goddesses have chosen me for this, I'll learn the songs through dreams or visions."

"Now let's go recover those instruments!" Sheik said pumping his fist.

"Down!" Nate hissed and tackled the Sheikah.

They collapsed in a pile just as a Gerudo scout crew went by. Sheik exhaled. "Thanks."

"The instruments are in the Museum of Hylian History in the centre of town." Saria whispered. "We need to send as few people as possible."

"I'll go with Link." Aria said. "We'll be fine together."

Link nodded and the others quickly gave approval. The two crept off leaving the rest of the group in an alley near the temple. Link and Aria exchanged no words as they silently crept past Gerudo guards and warriors.

It was a relief as they drew closer to the town centre that there was less destruction, and less people and bodies. Most people from this area had fled early, so there was no need to destroy so much. It was an even bigger relief to see the museum standing, in damaged.

The two ran stealthily up the steps and pushed into the cool lobby. All the lights were out and no one was in the museum. However as they pushed on, searching for the instruments, they heard voices.

The voices came from four people. Three of them were distinctly Gerudo women, and one Link recognized as his acquaintance Shad, the museum director. He bristled and Aria had to pull him behind another display.

"Shhh." She hushed him as they peered out to watch the scene unfold.

Shad was being restrained by two women, the third pointing a sword in his face. She was snarling at him. "Why can I not remove them!?"

He didn't flinch. "I told you before, only ones blessed or chosen by the goddesses can lift and use The Ocarina of Time and The Goddess Harp."

"Well you lift it then!" She snarled.

"I can't. I never put them on display. That was the Hero very long ago when the Museum was founded. I can move them no better than you."

She curled her lip in spite. "Then I have no further use for you."

She raised her sword. Without thinking Aria reach into a pouch by her side and drew out a small object. She hurled it at the Gerudo woman before her blade could touch the innocent director and it exploded on contact.

She howled in pain as the bright flash blinded her and the others and the explosion knocked her off balance, causing her to drop her sword. Cursing she looked about in blind rage, literally.

"That was a Sheikah trick! A dirty one. Find it. And kill it." She growled.

Aria and Link exchanged quick looks before they both stood and faced their opponents. The leader scooped up her weapon and directed one of the women to accompany her. The leader flew at Link with a flurry quick strikes. Link calmly countered, sidestepped, blocked and parried each attack.

The other Gerudo flew at Aria, and she did the only thing she could. She gripped another 'flash bang' and hurled it straight in her face. The woman recoiled screaming, clawing at her eyes. Aria quickly pulled out her bow and smack the woman hard enough over the head she collapsed. She glanced in wonder at the hard wood and wondered why the weapon hadn't shattered.

A loud crash alerted her to the other Gerudo that was fighting Link collapsing. Link had clubbed her with his shield, similar to Aria's method. Both Gerudo were now unconscious. Link turned and ran at the final Gerudo who was restraining Shad.

The woman dropped Shad and tried to find her weapon, but Link was faster. He sidestepped the young director, who went sprawling, and brought his shield up and bashed the woman in the head. She crumpled to the ground like the other two.

Aria rushed to Shad. "Professor Shad! Are you alright?"

The disoriented professor straightened his glasses before looking at the Sheikah woman who stood above him. He smiled. "Thank you for your assistance Link and friend. Also my dear that was quick thinking with that deku nut."

"Deku nut?" Aria echoed in surprise.

"That second one you threw, since it was a direct shot to the face, I fear that woman may wake up blind."

Aria felt guilt rush through her. Link's hand clasped on her shoulder. His sword and shield were now both strapped on his back again. "Aria you were protecting yourself. It's ok."

She nodded reluctantly. "Oh Link!" She exclaimed, her gaze wandering to the instruments. She stood, her eyes fixated by their beauty.

Link gave Shad a hand up and followed her gaze. "Oh yes. Shad, as you can tell something big is happening." The professor looked at Link in exasperation. "The Gerudo have taken over. Castle Town is destroyed. You need to flee to Lon Lon Ranch. Residents of the Knight's Academy at Hylia's Academy are going to educate people on fighting and let people heal up and stay there."

Aria gestured again to the instruments. Link sighed and turned back to Shad. "Shad we're also going to take these."

"Link you know just as well as I do, you won't be able to move them unless..." Shad's voice died as he took in Link's clothing and the Master Sword strapped to his back. "Dear Din boy, it's you? And then I supposed this young lady is the blessed one who will teach you?" Link nodded. "Very we'll go ahead. I will go to the ranch to be safe. You stay safe too. Hyrule is counting on you."

With that, Shad scurried out of the museum, leaving Aria and Link alone again. Aria reached out and picked up the Goddess Harp. Link followed suit and took the Ocarina of Time.

Suddenly time froze. The world turned grey and Link was nearly sent reeling. The only thing in colour besides himself was the girl across from him. Aria grinned. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, the red orbs were glowing.

"Listen to and play the Song of Time." She brought the harp up and her eyes fluttered shut as her slender fingers plucked at the strings, playing a soft but haunting melody.

Link lifted the Ocarina and let his fingers do the work. They fluttered gently on the instrument, recreating Aria's melody as they played in harmony.

Both Hylians lowered the instruments and time remained frozen. Link gave her a puzzled look but she just smiled.

"There is another. The Royal Family's Hymn." Aria played another melody softly and Link copied her on the Ocarina.

This time after they lowered the instruments, time unfroze. Light glowed softly around both instruments and they dissolved into light. Link clutched at the air unexpectedly.

"What? Where did they go?" He sputtered.

Aria lifted a hand to silence him. "It's ok. I've seen this. The goddesses will keep them safe for us until we need then again. Then they will appear. We should go meet the others now. We need to get to the first sage. Forest you said?"

"Yes." Link confirmed with a curt nod. They turned broke into a jog as they left the museum. They retraced their steps, cautious of patrolling Gerudo.

"Kokiri Forest if I had to take a random stab." Aria whispered without breaking stride.

"Yeah but there is nobody living there. How could the sage possibly be there? The Kokiri either died or went into hiding and haven't been seen in a very long time." Link murmured as they rounded the final corner to get back to the alley they started in.

Midna gave them a smile as they stopped and sat with the other four. "Did you get them?" Aria nodded swiftly. Midna perked a brow.

Aria's mouth shifted into an 'O' shape. "The goddesses. They're storing them. I think they're keeping them safe for us in the sacred realm. It's so we absolutely can't lose them."

"That's convenient." Nate said dryly.

Link rolled his eyes. "Those are the divine goddesses you're referring to. Show some respect."

Nate nodded and mumbled an apology to Nayru, Din and Farore. Saria nodded in satisfaction.

"Aria and I figured we know where the first temple and sage are." Link started.

Midna cut him off. "You've probably come to the same conclusion that we did, sitting around here waiting for you two. It's in the Kokiri Forest. The Lost Woods to be specific as Saria pointed out."

"The Lost Woods?" Aria asked.

"The area in the Kokiri forest where no one ever dares enter for fear that they will get lost and turn into Stalfos. It's the most likely place for the temple because it's always swarming with monsters." Saria explained.

"Gee Saria I knew you liked History and learning about the lands of Hyrule, but how do you know so much about the forest? I don't think we ever went over some of this stuff in class..." Sheik said.

Saria's eyes widened, the green in them brightening, almost like they were glowing like Aria's eyes did when she and Link were playing the godly instruments. "I don't know..." She stammered. "It's all just coming to me." She fell silent.

"Let's not sit here and debate about how smart Saria is and how helpful this information will be forever guys." Nate interrupted. "We should get a move on. It will take more than the sunlight we have to reach Kokiri Forest. We may have to camp in the field today. We need to head south east from here."

Without anymore being said, the six Hylians crept out of the alley and into the street, they saw no Gerudo in sight, so they continued on. They reach the front gate without seeing any Gerudo. They deduced they must have been taking over other parts of the city. The drawbridge was raised slightly maybe two or three feet off the ground. The concern was obviously keeping people out, not in.

They easily made jump down onto the earth of Hyrule Field. For Aria, Saria, and Nate this was their first time leaving Castle Town and entering the real world of Hyrule they'd been studying their whole lives.

Sheik grinned. "C'mon noobs. We don't have all day to stare at and gape at the field; we've got time to make up. It's nearly 10, the sun has already set, and we need to move."

Midna nodded. "We can make camp close to eleven. Let's try to make some progress today."

They broke into a jog and ran for a while. They took walking breaks but ran a good half of the time. They got close to the entrance to the forest by around 11:15 PM, the sun long set and the sky long darkened. They quickly settled down, the guys making a silent agreement to take first watch.

Midna, Aria, and Saria curled up, exhausted and overwhelmed and instantly fell asleep. Nate agreed to let Link and Sheik take first watch and also fell into a slumber. Link and Sheik quickly got a fire going to keep warm and to provide some light.

Sheik looked at Link. He looked tired. "Hero, huh Link? Ever thought it would happen?"

Link sighed. "I never imagined it would be like this. Lately I've been having dreams though, I think the goddesses were trying to warn me. I've had flashes, different people fighting alongside us. There's something else too." He cast a wary glance at Nate and Saria, before his gaze settled back at Sheik's eerie red eyes, which looked creepier in the firelight. "I didn't want to say it with them awake, or even Midna and Aria, it might worry them. In the first few flashes all six of us are fighting together. As the visions continued, Saria wasn't with us. I don't know what this means but I only hope..." His voice caught as he studied his friend.

"It doesn't Link. Maybe she just goes to the ranch. She's isn't really one for fighting." Sheik said, punching Link's arm lightly.

"I'm probably just overthinking it." He mumbled.

Sheik grinned. "Right. Overthinking. You seem to do that a lot."

Link cracked a grin and slugged Sheik back. "Loser."

"You love me."

"You're lucky I do."

They sat in silence, waiting in the dark for anything to go wrong. Nothing went wrong for hours so they eventually woke up Midna and Aria who took the next watch. The two boys crashed almost instantly.

Midna laughed. Her hand brushed some hair off Sheik's face and she smiled softly. Aria watched her best friend, the corners of her lips twitching upwards.

"You're really sweet together Mid." Aria commented softly.

Midna smiled. "Thanks. It's great to be with someone who I can be myself with." She realized her mistake too late. Aria's gaze had drifted to her lap, an unhappy look settling on her face.

"I just wish I didn't have to hide my identity. I mean being a Sheikah is cool and all, but it's not me. It's not like I'm actually the princess anyways..."

"It's just for safety reasons Zel." Midna said softly, calling the disguised Sheikah by her real name.

She just sighed. "I understand that. I think I'll live."

"Good."

"Yeah."

Midna poked at the fire with a stick, keeping it burning. The girls exchanged words briefly throughout their shift, but neither was up for a full conversation. They eventually woke Nate and Saria to take last shift.

It was still dark, but it would be light soon, a couple of hours. Saria was fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist when Nate addressed her, after an hour of silence in the shift.

"What's that for do you think?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I've got a pretty good idea." Saria admitted.

"Care to share?"

"Well you know how everyone thinks the Kokiri are either dead or too deep in hiding to ever be seen again?" Nate nodded. Saria continued, "The Sage of the Forest has to be a Kokiri, or as I was thinking, someone with Kokiri blood. My ancestors are of Kokiri descent. I carry the blood of the forest within me."

It was silent. Nate turned and studied her. "You think you're the Sage of the Forest?"

Saria nodded. "It's just a feeling, but it would explain how I seem to know so much about the forest considering I've never been there. It would also explain my dreams."

"Dreams?" Nate asked.

"I've been seeing things, glimpses of a hedge maze, a very old temple that's overgrown with moss, shadows lurking at every corner and the trees from the forest. They're as big and tall as I've always imagined. It's a sign. I'm sure." Saria glanced at Link briefly.

"What's wrong now?" He asked, scooting a little closer so she could lower her voice.

"There's one image that keeps coming back. Link and I are in this round room full of paintings. There's a massive shadow attacking us. I'm using a bow and he's using his sword. We deal the final blow and the monster perishes, but it gets off one final attack. I'm shielded by some green light, but Link takes the attack hard." She stopped. Nate gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "He dies. Every single time. He can't go into that temple! Otherwise he's going to die! Then Hyrule is doomed."

"I won't let him go in. I trust your visions Saria. I also trust you're the Sage of the Forest. We're going to beat that temple together. Just us. I won't let Link put himself in danger like that. Hyrule needs him." Nate said firmly.

"Thank you." Saria smiled.

They spoke in hushed voices of how they were going to get in without the others, get the Master Sword off Link (it would be needed to slay many of the monsters) and not have the others follow them. Eventually the sun began to rise and they woke the others. Their plan remained between the two of them, hushed whispers in the night.

Once they broke camp, put out the fire and covered up any signs that showed people had been camping there, they headed towards the forest. The trees loomed tall and mysterious, shadowing the darkness they held within.

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_WORD COUNT: __3,157 words_

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**Here we are. Chapter two. More action here and it only keeps getting better. Again check out my profile for more info and all questions, either in reviews or PMs are welcome. **

**Next update will be: October 1st. Here's Chapter Three's title:**

**Chapter III - Kokiri Forest**

**Keep Fighting!**

**~ Hylia'sWarriorQueen ~**


	4. III - The Kokiri Forest

**A Hero's Journey – Chapter III – Kokiri Forest**

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They entered the forest early in the morning, the sun had just risen, and there was not a sound. That was until a very noisy Bogoblin came charging out of the brush.

Three quick swipes from Sheik's knives and it fell, its body dissolving in black light. Sheik scoffed. "I guess we better get used to that. I hope not every enemy is that weak."

Midna groaned. "Please don't say that." Sheik laughed and Nate joined in and soon they were all laughing as they trekked through the forest.

They came across several monsters like the bogoblin and a couple of deku scrubs, but they were not match for Sheik's speed, Nate's or Link's strength, Midna's stealth, Aria's long range, and Saria's precision. No one in the party had even come close to an injury inflicted by monsters.

When they finally entered a clearing everyone's breath was taken away. There were massive stumps long overridden with moss and other things that couldn't be named. It looked as if the stumps may once have been homes.

Saria stepped forwards and surveyed the area. Her face showed an expression of slight pain and sadness. Her green eyes were definitely glowing this time, the pain of the Kokiri and Sages before her reflecting in them. Her companions looked at her in awe.

When Saria spoke it was in her voice, but the words sounded like they were being spoken from very far away and by a person who spoke with a very different pattern of speech. "My home. What has befallen my home to turn it like this? My home..." She murmured again. The glow in her eyes vanished and she blinked twice. Her voice returned to normal when she spoke again. "She... She spoke through me... That was my ancestor, Saria the original Sage of the Forest."

"That's creepy yet very cool on a totally different level." Sheik said still staring at Saria.

"Let's move guys." Link said. He started down a slope that led them directly into the village. Aria followed him, but everyone else hesitated. Midna sighed and gripped one of Sheik's and Nate's arm each. She tilted her head towards the hill and Saria walked slowly after her.

They wandered the ruins of what appeared to be the village the Kokiri lived in for maybe ten minutes before Nate saw something that caught his eye.

He jogged over to the side of one the stumps and beckoned the group over. "It looks like a door of sorts. It's really old and probably mouldy and held up by plant life, but if there is anything inside, it may be able to help us."

Link nodded. "We need to know about the Kokiri. The Sage of Forest has to have Kokiri blood, so we'll need to find the Sage before we enter the temple, besides Rauru said that each Sage could offer me something in the temple I would need, some kind of power..."

"Should we try and bust down the door?" Midna asked, stepping up next to Nate to get a closer look. "It looks really old and I'm sure if we had enough force, it would break."

The group decided that Nate and Link would use Nate's heavier shield and put their combined weight into slamming it into the door. The boys slammed their full weight into it, and the old wood creaked and splintered inwards. The sunlight shone into a room that was long overgrown with vegetation. Sheik pushed in first, past a curtain of moss that fell once the door was gone.

"Guys..." He called, his voice wavering. "Either you're really going to want to see this, or really not going to."

Aria frowned and walked inside. Instantly the stench hit her, it was stale, but obvious, it smelled old and pungent. The smells of mould and rotting flesh hit her strongly. She wrinkled her nose and squinted to see in the bad lighting. Then her eyes fixed on what Sheik had noticed. She stumbled backwards blindly, fear reading on her face. Four corpses littered the room. The bodies were so small and mangled you could have sworn they were children.

Midna let out a strangled yelp, obviously seeing the scene. "I think I know what happened to the Kokiri..."

Link frowned, like he was troubled. "But how did they die? It doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does. Someone killed them." Saria argued, her eyes softening before they hardened.

Nate shuddered. "Ganondorf. It figures he would strike here first to try and eliminate the Sages. When he couldn't find the Sage's source of power, or he eliminated the Sage, you could assume he went on a rampage, killing them all."

"Did all the Kokiri die though?" Aria asked.

"We'll have to see. Let's try breaking into some other houses." Sheik recommended.

Nate and Link busted into several other houses and confirmed that no one had survived the attack and that it was more than likely the entire Kokiri race had been wiped out. When they all lived in severe isolation like this, not wanting to venture out, it wasn't that surprising. There were no recent signs of life past perhaps a month or so.

It took most of the day to investigate Kokiri Village, so they settled down earlier, before the sunset. They built up a fire and dragged some logs over for comfort. Aria and Link took the first shift as the others got some much-deserved rest. Link sat on a log and occasionally prodded at the fire, a distant look in his eyes.

"Link?" Aria finally asked. "Are you alright?"

His head snapped up. "I'm fine. Why?"

Aria rolled her eyes, the red looking a little intimidating in the firelight. "You just made a prodding motion with your right hand. The stick is in your left. What's wrong?"

He sighed. The stick fell to the ground beside his foot. "It's about the Sage. How is there supposed to be a Sage of the Forest if all the Kokiri are dead? What do I do now? Supposedly the Forest Sage has a great power that will not only help me in the temple but contribute to my power if I'm to face Ganondorf."

Aria remained silent, not knowing how to respond. Honestly, she had no idea of what would happen.

"It never said the person had to be a full Kokiri did it?" Saria asked quietly. Aria and Link both turned to look at her. She'd been so quiet that they thought she was asleep.

"No, but I don't see where this is going." Link said.

"I'm the Sage." Saria blurted. Link and Aria sat processing it for a moment. She continued. "I feel a strong connection to the forest, the past Sage spoke through me, I always have believe that every legend we heard about in history was true, and perhaps that also explained my great attraction to it. I know it's me. I don't know what else to say to make you believe me, but-" Saria was cut off by a flash of warm green light.

Everyone else simply saw a flash of light, but it brought a vision to Link. He saw himself in a flaming field, the Master Sword felt comfortable in his hand as he duelled an opponent he couldn't see. A flash of light struck the blade and he wounded his opponent. With the light came a voice, it was Saria's without a doubt.

"For the fallen spirits of the forest and for those who now struggle to live within my woods."

The light cleared and Link's vision vanished. Saria and Aria were both giving him curious looks and he explained his vision, securing his thoughts that without a doubt, Saria was the Sage of the Forest.

Saria fell asleep after that with relief etched on her face. Link felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders now that he'd found a sage. Aria, as hard as she had tried to stay up with him, eventually fell asleep. When Link found himself barely able to keep his eyes open, he reluctantly woke Sheik and Nate so they could be on guard.

When the boys woke the others up, it was morning. They sat around the remains of the fire trying to figure out how to approach going into the Lost Woods to find the temple. Link and Aria informed Sheik, Midna and Nate about Saria being the Sage. Midna and Sheik were surprised, but Nate was not. Saria eventually told them what she'd seen in a dream, how the Hero of legend had found the temple.

They went with what Saria said, trusting her as the Sage. They took a trail out of the edge of the village and entered what they assumed to be the Lost Woods. Once in the woods, Saria moved with new purpose, following a non-existent path through the twisted and confusing woods. She took paths when they seemed completely unlikely to be correct, but they had yet to run into any monsters.

When Midna asked her how she knew where she was going, she turned and asked the group if they could see it. They'd responded with a curious and confused no. Saria then informed them she could see a faint green glow guiding her in the right direction.

When the others gave her strange looks, she faltered. "You mean you don't see them?"

Aria nodded slowly. "We can't see any mystical green lights Sar."

Nate jumped into the conversation. "What if it's a Sage thing, guiding her to her temple?"

"That's probably right. We haven't seen a single monster yet, so lead on Saria." Link said smiling.

Saria turned back to the path, following the softly glowing green mist that hovered just off the ground. She blinked a couple of times to make sure it was really there and that she wasn't just imagining it. Its soft glow never wavered, so she decided to trust herself. They got maybe five minutes further before she started hearing things too.

A child's voice fluttered past from nearby. It was carried by the wind. "It is you! Great Sage we've missed you! Please help us! We need you!"

Saria started looking around frantically. "I'm here! I'm here!" She shouted. Her eyes were wild and confused. They were also slightly glazed over, like she was in shock. She took off running along the path of the light.

"Saria!" Nate yelled and took off after her. Everyone unsheathed their weapons and tore off after the confused Sage.

Nate caught up first. He dropped his sword and pulled Saria into his chest. She struggled still calling out to the voices only she could hear. "Saria, no one is there!" Nate cried out in desperation as he clutched her struggling tiny body close.

"No! The voices! Can't you hear them? They need me!" She struggled more tears welling up in her eyes before spilling down on her cheeks. She hiccupped and her struggles slowly ceased. "N-no." She stammered before sinking to the ground.

Nate knelt next to her, keeping his arms wrapped firmly around her as she sobbed. "Shh." He rubbed her back until her sobs subsided.

Eventually she managed to bring her arms up and hug him back, a sign that she was all right. The others approached cautiously. Nate helped Saria to her feet, but her gaze remained firmly fixed on the ground.

"What happened?" Aria asked, her red eyes glimmered with shreds of left over panic.

"I heard voices. The Kokiri they were calling out to me, asking me to free them." When she saw the confused faces of her companions, Saria sighed. "No one called out did they?"

Link sighed. "No. We heard nothing. Perhaps it's the woods. It's called the Lost Woods for a reason. Legend has it, they trap people here using illusions and hallucinations. If the madness sets in, the person turns into a Stalfos. If it doesn't they die at the hands of a monster."

"Well since Saria doesn't seem to be completely insane or turning into a Stalfos, we must have option number 2." Sheik drawled.

Just as the Sheikah spoke, something large, dark, ugly and very loud tore from within the underbrush. It lumbered across the clearing angrily, hefting its massive club. Nate swore and scooped up his sword. Saria pulled her knives out and faced the beast with new ferocity.

"What is that thing?" Midna cursed loudly.

Link scowled. "It's a Moblin. To be more specific, it's a Club Moblin. It's bigger, stronger and meaner than a normal Moblin."

"Well Mr. Sunshine," Sheik sneered, "I don't suppose that means it's stupider too does it?"

"No." Link admitted. "It does mean however it's slower." As soon as he spoke, he tore across the clearing, straight at it.

The Moblin yowled and swung its club down in an arc, Link rolled away and slashed at its side. It howled in pain and Link nimbly dodged its swipe again. He looked over his shoulder and flashed an endearing grin, which made Aria melt a little inside. Turning to face the group turned out to be a terrible move on Link's part, because as soon as his eyes were off the monster, it backhanded him. Link went flying several feet before skidding to a stop, maybe a foot away from Aria.

She flew to his side, a scowl on her face. "You idiot." She scolded him. "Don't do that without warning okay? Now get up, we've got a monster to fight."

"Yes Ma'am." Link mocked saluted her and stood up. The other four were working on keeping it occupied when they joined in the brawl.

Aria kept her distance more than the others and buried two arrows into each of his eyes. The beast howled, but didn't fall. Sheik and Saria were slashing from the sides, jumping back and dodging a strike whenever it was aimed their way. Nate and Midna took the frontal assault. Midna jumped and jammed her rapier into the thing's knee, all the way to the hilt. It stumbled and fell to a knee. Nate made a rather large gash across its chest. Just as it was about to get up, Aria shot another arrow straight at its heart. It hit home and it howled.

The monster instantly zeroed in on the Sheikah girl on the other side of the clearing. With a terrifying snarl, it swept Midna and Nate out of the way and barrelled towards her. Aria screamed, as she knew there was no way to avoid the attack. Just as the club swung back to deliver the blow the monster faltered. It exploded in a burst of shadows before melting into the ground. Link was on one knee, his sword lying across the ground in front of him. Aria quickly realized he'd jumped and pulled his sword down through the back of the monster as gravity pulled him down. It was the final blow needed.

"Thank you." She breathed. Link nodded. His eyes were still filled with anger and worry, worry for her. Aria's heart fluttered a little bit and she cursed her emotions.

"Guys..." Saria gasped from across the clearing. Nate and Midna were still getting to their feet, but Sheik was at her side. The two were gaping at what stood just beyond the clearing.

A pedestal with the Triforce on it sat a hundred feet away. That was what had caught their attention however. A massive stone ruin, that was only kind of a ruin, lay beyond that. The main entrance had crumbled away, leaving no entry that way, but there was a hole maybe thirty feet higher than that. There was however, no way of getting up to it.

Link rose quickly. "Is that?"

Saria nodded, barely able to force the words out. "The Forest Temple."

In awe, the six strode towards it. Aria and Link were the first to step onto the stone pedestal. Everything froze around them and light enveloped them. When the light cleared, they were standing in a place where everything in all directions was simply white.

Link gaped in shock. "Is this the Sacred Realm?"

Aria blinked. "Yes. I suppose it is."

"Why are we here?" Link asked quietly. A light suddenly emitted from his hands answered his question. When it cleared, he was holding the Ocarina of Time and Aria was holding the Goddess Harp once again. "Oh." He mumbled.

"Link." Aria began, and then her voice changed. It was still very much hers, but it held more age, like perhaps someone else was putting the words into her mouth. "The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days. In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest." She raised the harp and her fingers took over, playing a simple six-note melody.

Link lifted the Ocarina to his lips and let his heart take over. His fingers fluttered over the holes, copying the melody Aria was playing. A green glow emitted from the two instruments, eventually the lights fluttered towards each other and began swirling around the pair, like they were dancing.

When they finished the song, they lowered the instruments and expected the Sacred Realm to vanish, but it remained solid and bright. A young laugh echoed around them and they looked around, on guard. It was almost a childish chuckle.

A bright flash of light emitted from in front of them and it dispersed as a figure appeared. She had green skin, hair and eyes. She wore a green dress and her laugh made Link and Aria both want to burst into laughter as well.

"Welcome my children." Her voice was warm and carried the wisdom of thousands of years. Unlike her laugh, her voice was that of a woman, melodious and light.

"W-who are you?" Aria stammered.

"My dearest Zelda it has been many years since I've seen a spirit as bright as yours. I suppose you wouldn't know who I am then. I am the Goddess of Courage, Farore." The goddess laughed.

Aria twitched at her real name before sinking to one knee. "Milady." She addressed formally.

Link followed her example and knelt but remained silent. Farore studied him briefly. "Rise my hero. You are my chosen one so if anything, I should be the one to bow to you. Zelda, chosen of the goddess Hylia and-" She was cut off for a moment by a flash of bright blue light. Farore rolled her eyes. "Yes of course. Rise young heroes. I come bearing a gift."

Link and Aria both rose, but kept their eyes respectfully on the goddess. "A gift?" Link asked politely.

"To enter the Forest Temple you will need this. I bestow upon you a weapon of another of my brave Heroes, the Hookshot. It is a powerful weapon that can be used many times for many purposes. Do not fear, it is in perfect condition. I entrust this to you and ask only that you use it to repel evil." Farore reach her hands to the heavens and a light glowed briefly before dying out and leaving the mystical weapon in her hands. It floated over to Link who took it graciously.

"Of course Milady."

Farore smiled upon the two. "Now return to your realm and remember, you must speak little of this encounter to the others. I sense great power lying dormant in many of them. They will find their destinies alongside you. Go now my hero, return light to the forest. We will speak again soon."

The goddess' form exploded into a radiant light, enveloping Aria and Link. When the light cleared the two found themselves on the pedestal, everything frozen around them. Then time started moving again and Link and Aria blinked and looked around in bewilderment. The Ocarina of Time and the Goddess Harp were once again in safe possession of the goddesses.

"Guys are you ok? You look totally lost. There was a flash of light when you stepped on that pedestal, but it was only for a second." Midna asked, explaining what the others had seen.

"Yeah we're..." Link trailed off looking at Aria before finishing, "fine. We're fine."

Aria cleared her throat. "This may come across as a surprise, but I think this pedestal triggered something for Link and I. Time was temporarily frozen and we were given something by the goddesses." She gestured for Link to show the Hookshot and went into no more depth than that for their encounter with Farore.

The others seemed taken aback as Link brought out the Hookshot and tested it on a nearby tree. Nate and Saria exchanged glances. They now knew a way to stop Link from entering the temple.

"Hey Link could I see that? If it's true that the original Hero used it, it has got to be really cool." Saria asked politely, her history nut showing through. Link grinned and handed over the weapon. Saria turned it over studying it. She nodded at Nate who then made his move.

Nate threw a stone to the corner of the clearing and the whole group turned, drawing weapons. Nate suddenly drove his elbow into Link's gut, enough to wind him but not seriously hurt him. Link gasped and doubled over and his grip on the Master Sword went slack. Sheik, Aria and Midna reacted, but a touch late. Nate had already tugged the Master Sword out of Link's grip and stepped back to stand with Saria.

"What are you doing?" Sheik yelled as the girls helped Link stand.

Nate frowned as he took the Hookshot from Saria. She slid an arm around his waist and he did the same to her. He shot the hook and embedded it in some rocks above the Forest Temple. "I'm saving his life." With that said they shot upwards towards the ledge and dropped down the hole into the temple.

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_WORD COUNT: 3,690 words_

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**And chapter three. Yay. Battles. Battles are fun. Many more of those to go, and you'll bet I'm bringing Moblins back. Nasty little buggers. **

**Next update will be: October 13. Here's the next chapter title:**

**Chapter IV - The Forest Temple**

**Keep Fighting!**

**~ Hylia'sWarriorQueen ~**


	5. IV - The Forest Temple

**A Hero's Journey – Chapter IV – The Forest Temple**

* * *

As Nate and Saria plummeted through the hole in the top of the ledge, Saria turned her head into his chest and squeezed her arms around him. He wrapped the arm not holding Link's sword around her and braced himself for impact. Both of their eyes were closed tightly.

When none came he opened one eye hesitantly. They were hovering a foot above stone floors that were covered with moss. He opened both eyes and took in what little he could see. The walls were old stone, some areas covered in old and decrepit tapestries. The ceiling was stone and had some old fashioned chandeliers lit with candles to illuminate the room in a spooky gloom.

There was a stream of white light around them that gently lowered them to the ground. When Saria felt the ground softly touch beneath her feet, she peeled back from Nate. Her breath hitched at the sight of disarray inside her temple.

"Saria? Are you okay?" Nate asked as he glanced around the darkened halls.

"I'm fine. We should press onwards. A great evil needs defeating. We've already deceived our friends, taken the Master Sword and betrayed their trust, we have to move forwards." She replied.

Nate nodded and they started down the hallways. He heard a door creak somewhere ahead and he bristled. Saria gave him a reassuring look and he lowered his hackles slightly. He gave her a nervous but thankful look.

They approached the first main room. It was a square-shaped room with a large door on the wall opposite them. Two smaller doors were located on the other walls. The floor was covered by a large red rug that was now so filthy and old it almost appeared brown. Many of the gold tassels on each side were missing or seriously stained. They approached the large door first, only to find it blocked by a massive two-part lock that they had no way to open.

Nate turned to Saria. He gave her a half-contented look. "Left or right? I assume we'll find a way to open this door using what's behind those two."

"That seems logical." She agreed. "Let's take left first."

They headed to the left door. Nate twisted the knob and bumped the door open with his shoulder. Their eyes fell upon another room. It was rectangular. The two long walls were decorated with tapestries and old portraits. Saria walked closer to one of the portraits but frowned.

"They are so old, the picture is unviewable. It's odd. Perhaps they were not made with good materials."

Nate walked up next to her. "Maybe the paints or canvas were not as good when it was painted. That's probably just our evolution in this century. This is a really old temple."

"Of course. Let's press on." Saria agreed quietly.

They got maybe halfway through the room before they were ambushed. Blobs of coloured goo rained down all around them and Nate let out a sharp hiss of pain when one struck him in the arm. The goo began taking on a shape, blobish still but with a definite face and glowing red eyes. There were four different colours, red, green, yellow and blue.

Nate drew both swords, opting to leave the shield strung on his back. Link's sword was in his left while his own was in his right. He alternated slashing both swords viciously through several of the gooey enemies. The red ones fell to one or two swipes from the swords. Nate quickly noticed that the green and blue ones tended to shrink and avoid his attacks, those could be dealt with later.

He went after the yellow ones, but as soon as his blade made contact, an electric shock travelled up his arm and he grunted in pain and was forced backwards. He studied them carefully and noticed that the yellow and blue ones had some kind of energy crackling around them. He quickly identified it as electricity for he'd received a shock.

"Saria!" He called. She turned and glanced at him. So far she'd taken down a couple of reds and some greens that hadn't dodged her swipes. "The yellow and blue ones will shock you!" He jogged to her side and they went back to back.

Saria sheathed one of her knives and her tone took on a no nonsense tone. "Give me the Hookshot. I have an idea." Nate perked a brow but handed her the Hookshot.

She took aim and fired it at a green monster when it was shrunk. It instantly popped back to full size and appeared stunned. Nate took advantage of its state and slashed through it. They quickly eliminated the rest of the green goo monsters in the same fashion. Saria then tried it on the yellow ones and when it made contact, their electricity dispersed and Nate disposed of them as well. Since it worked on green and yellow, it also worked on the blue ones, which were a combination.

Just as they thought they'd bested them all Nate turned back to face Saria, panting heavily. He saw something move over her shoulder and tried to cry out a warning but it came too late. Something pierced Saria's midsection and she cried out in pain as she collapsed.

Nate rushed to her and propped her head up. "Oh goddesses Saria no... You can't die on me! You can't!" He took her hand and she squeezed his lightly offering a light smile.

"Shh. I'm not done yet. There's something I have yet to try." Her eyes fluttered shut and the wound began glowing in soft green light. Nate's eyes widened as he saw the flesh retract the blood and begin closing the wound. The blood that had already stained her clothes and the floor began to disappear. When he looked back at the wound it was now no more than a pale scar covering her lower stomach. His view of the scar was disappearing as even her shirt mended itself.

"Saria..." He gasped in amazement. "You can heal?"

She sat up and inhaled deeply. "Yes. Not much though. It takes a very high concentration of power and it tires me out considerably. I probably shouldn't try anything that uses that much power for a while. What hit me anyways?"

Nate furrowed his brow. "I don't actually know. It vanished as soon as it attacked you."

Saria pushed herself to her feet gently and smiled. "Well let's move on. No point staying here any longer."

Nate nodded and they moved on to the next room. It was a round room that had a raised pedestal just above reach at the far end. Several stone columns circled the room. Nate strode up between two into the circle they formed. Before Saria could follow, flames rose up between each column, trapping him in the circle.

"Nate!" Saria cried out in worry. He turned to face her. Then he noticed something behind her.

"Saria on the wall to your left there's a painting. What is it of?"

Saria strode up to it and studied it. "The Sage of Water I believe."

Nate squinted through the fire but managed to see what he needed to. "Saria there are five other portraits scattered around the room. I imagine they are of the five other sages. Put them in order starting with the one closest to the door."

Saria's eyes widened and she quickly removed the portrait in front of her and dragged it to its rightful spot, fourth, and taking the Sage of Spirit's portrait down. She then took that to the sixth spot and removed the Sage of Forest's. Saria then put the Sage of Forest's in the second spot, the Sage of Shadow's in the fifth, the Sage of Fire's in the third and finally the Sage of Light's in the one closest to the door.

The flames surrounding the columns didn't go out, but something dropped from the ceiling. It was a Moblin much like the one they'd fought in the clearing only smaller. Nate hefted the swords and charged at it. He used his agility as he spun from side, to back, to front, to side again. He left deep wounds from each slash and the monster wailed. He finally swiped at its knees and it tumbled forwards, off balance. It managed to spear itself onto the Master Sword where it then evaporated into shadows. Finally the fire died out and Saria ran towards him, only to be interrupted.

A loud rumbled shook the room and Nate lunged for Saria, pulling her smaller body in tight, away from harm. The rumbling eventually ceased and both were surprised the roof had not caved in. Instead, the rumbling had been the shifted of old stone as a set of stairs rose from the ceiling giving them access to the pedestal. They climbed up and opened the chest at the top. It was half of a large key that looked like it would fit into the lock on the door in the main room.

The key glowed with light as soon as it was exposed to human touch. Nate panicked slightly when it dissolved into the light but Saria assured him it would be waiting for them back in the main room. They backtracked through the rooms, headed for the other door to retrieve what could only be the other half of the key.

Upon taking the door to the right, they were faced with a room identical to the one that held the gooey enemies. Instead of gooey enemies this time, they faced maybe ten bogoblins, who were much easier to defeat. They moved on and found another room similar to the one they'd retrieved the key in.

This time however, there were no pillars and no portraits. Instead there were three massive triangular stones marked, POWER, WISDOM and COURAGE. There were imprints on the floor to form the Triforce and Saria figured out they should put each block in the right place to complete the Triforce.

They worked together to push the block labeled POWER to the top of the Triforce where a rumble sounded and it sunk into the floor indicating a correct placement. They then pushed COURAGE into the bottom right and WISDOM into the bottom left. Both pieces sunk in and for a moment, the completed Triforce puzzle glowed with golden light.

Then in dropped another Moblin. Nate let out a string of curses and readied his swords. Saria stepped back slightly and pulled out the Hookshot. Nate glanced at her, but she motioned for him to distract the Moblin. He nodded and ran at the beast. He made several slashes and made sure he always had the thing's attention. Saria made her move and fired the Hookshot into its eye. It wailed and dissolved into shadows like the others had.

Nate chuckled. "Well that makes things simpler. Let's keep doing that." Saria giggled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled and her mind wandered to how good Nate looked when he was smiling. She allowed herself a shameless moment of studying his tanned and well-muscled skin. He was darker than most Hylians, but he'd grown up in Hyrule so assuming he wasn't Hylian made no sense at all. She shook her head lightly. This was not the time.

The ground rumbled again and this time neither hero stumbled or panicked. They merely watched as a set of stairs appeared. They clambered up and retrieved the key, which also dissolved into light. Nate grabbed Saria's hand and tugged her along, back into the main room.

When the two entered, they saw both halves of the key floating in front of the lock. Then a bright light flashed and the halves became a whole and the key zoomed into the lock. The lock fell to the ground and dissolved in golden light that lit up the entire room. Saria and Nate approached the door. Nate pushed on it, but it didn't budge. Saria gently pulled him back and placed her hand on the door. Green light webbed across engravings on the door and it swung open.

Saria smiled sweetly when Nate looked at her in surprise. She pointed a finger at herself and giggled. "Forest Sage."

Nate laughed, a sound that vibrated his chest and Saria smiled shyly. They walked through the door into another room. It was considerable smaller, a square-shaped room with nothing on any walls. There was a gate slated across the door and Nate narrowed his eyes at it.

He walked towards only to hear Saria cry out his name in fear. His eyes widened but before he could do anything else, something had him pinned to the ground. He let out a hiss of pain as he felt something embed itself in his back.

Saria watched in horror as a massive spider descended right onto Nate, pinning him before sinking its fangs into his back. She pulled out one of her knives and steeled her nerves. With a flick of her wrist and a snap of her arm, she sent the knife flying into the monster's unguarded back and the Skulltula let out a screech before it dissolved into shadows, defeated.

Saria waited for Nate to get up and thank her, but he remained on the ground. She gasped and hurried to his side. She gathered her wits and pulled him into her lap, looking at the puncture marks on his back. The skin around them had tinged green and the wounds were deep and bleeding. He'd already lost consciousness before Saria killed the Skulltula, which was worrying. Further inspection showed that the wound was poisoned and the poison would be spreading through his veins soon.

She knew she had to heal him. She was already near her limit but the truth was, if she didn't heal him, he was going to die. They hadn't come this far for him to die like this. She inhaled. Saria positioned her hands just above the wounds and focused. A soft green light emitted above her hands and she focused on closing the wound and sucking out the poison. When the wound was fully healed and she knew there was no way it would reopen, she collapsed. She lay draped over his back, the blackness of sleep welcoming.

Nate came to first and was surprised to find himself facedown with his back propped over Saria's lap. He was even more surprised to find her slumped over him. He remembered the intense pain he'd felt and was surprised that there was nothing. He slipped out from under Saria and propped her against his chest. There was still no pain. Twisting his arm awkwardly until he could touch the wound, a chill slipped up his spine when he felt nothing but smooth skin over a freshly healed scar.

He put the pieces together and looked at the slumbering Sage. She must have passed out with exhaustion after healing him. He frowned lightly, sweeping some hair from her face. She shouldn't have.

He let maybe five more minutes pass, before he knew he had to wake her. He gently shook her shoulder and whispered in her ear until she stirred.

She blinked a couple of times; the dimly lit room was not marvelous for seeing clearly. She yawned and turned to look at Nate, worry creasing her brow. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Thanks to you. What about you? Are you still tired?"

She stood and stretched her arms above her head. "Not really. We should move on." She gestured to the door. Nate hadn't even noticed, but the grate was long gone.

He stood and beckoned Saria to follow. "I'll try not to get skewered by a Skulltula again."

Saria gave him a wavering smile before taking a couple of steps and wobbling slightly. Nate sighed and walked next to her, gripping her arm.

"You're still tired and out of energy but we really do need to get moving. I'll support you as we walk. I would carry you, but as far as enemy ambushes go, we'd be toast." Saria saw him sheath his sword and slide his right arm around her waist.

"Onwards then." She suggested. He nodded. They moved out of the room.

Upon exiting the door, they had to blink away sunlight. They'd emerged in the courtyard of the temple. Nate instantly began looking for any enemies. His lip curled when he saw three Wolfos patrolling the yard. The wolves had yet to notice them.

"Saria can you fight?" He asked the exhausted girl.

"I'm not a wimp." She straightened. "I'll be fine."

He nodded and slipped his arm out from behind her back. He drew the second sword and engaged the first wolf. At first they circled each other, each swiping and missing, completely unsuccessful at landing a hit. Then out of the blue the wolf crumpled to a heap and dissolved with a yelp. Saria stood there, her knives drawn, not even breaking a sweat. She grinned.

"What?" Nate asked quietly in confusion.

Saria inhaled, her eyes fluttering shut. "It's the natural life that's out here. It heals me." Nate smiled.

"Cool because we've just attracted the other two over here." His smile vanished as the first wolf leapt at Saria.

She raised her knives and slashed in an x form, leaving a crisscrossed wound on its underbelly. It yelped and slunk away. The other wolf flew at Nate and he batted it aside with one sword before plunging the other into its side when it was off balance. Down went the second wolf. Saria lunged with excellent aim and drive one knife straight into the cross of the wolf's wound and right into its heart. Down went the third wolf.

"Now what?" Saria murmured before her eyes drifted to the sky. "I wonder how long we've been in the temple."

"Considering the sun's position," Nate started, "It's about four in the afternoon. We've been in for a couple of hours. We've got a couple left before sundown too. Let's keep moving."

When he finished speaking he saw something lunge towards him out of the corner of his eye. It was the same thing that had stabbed Saria earlier. He spun in time and barely managed to nick the ...fingers?

The monster was a shadowy hand that appeared in a pool of collected shadows. Saria narrowed her eyes and snarled, "Floormasters. This is what got me earlier isn't it." Her eyes took in the dagger-like nails on the monster.

It lunged at Saria and she parried the blow away and slashed at it. It recoiled in pain. Nate took Saria's distraction and slashed a horizontal slash straight through the stem connecting the hand to the ground. The hand collapsed and disappeared after that.

As soon as the monster was dead, a light shone down from the sky and took the form of a chest. Nate opened the chest and brought out a bow and a quiver. Saria's eyes lit up.

"The Hero's Bow! That's the sacred weapon the Hero used to defeat the beast in the heart of the temple!" She said excitedly. Nate grinned.

"You want to take it? Bows aren't my thing. We really should give it to the real hero once we leave the temple." Nate grinned and offered it to her. Saria took it and strapped the quiver to her back. Nate continued, "Try it out. If you shoot those three eyes above the door, the gate might disappear."

Saria did as Nate recommended. The gate slid away after all three eyes received an arrow. They headed for it and entered.

They were back inside the temple now. All that lay in front of them in this room was a large set of stairs leading up to a large platform. They scaled the stairs and the sight at the top was a little confusing.

It was a square room with a torch in each corner. Each torch was lit with a different colour of flame, green, blue, purple and red. Another old red carpet covered the floor, but it didn't explain the four disembodied shadows hovering that appeared on the carpet.

Nate drew his swords and Saria drew the bow, trusting in the weapon of the temple. A laugh cut through the room and the green torch went out suddenly. A ghost appeared above one of the shadows with a green lantern. It laughed and shook its lantern into their faces.

They both stumbled back in surprise. It laughed again. This time however Saria sent an arrow into its face where it wailed and dissolved into smoke.

Nate narrowed his eyes. "Is that is?"

Saria was quiet. "No. It's just starting." Suddenly four ghosts all with green lanterns appeared, circling them and laughing. Saria stiffened. "Three are copies, one is real. I'm going to try and shoot the real one. Once I do it'll be vulnerable. You attack then." She hissed.

"Gotcha." Nate confirmed.

Saria loosed an arrow into one ghost and it went straight through, dissolving the illusion. She shot another one and this one made contact. The ghost wailed and tumbled to the ground. Nate ran over and speared it with the Master Sword, killing it. The green flame floated from the destroyed lantern back to the torch.

Next the blue flame went out. Another ghost appeared over one of the shadows, this time with a blue lantern. Saria sent another arrow flying and the ghost vanished. It reappeared just like the last except there were five ghosts now.

Before they could attack, the ghost laughed and sent fire flying their way. Nate tackled Saria out of the way as the rug gained a new burn hole. Saria quickly recovered and readied the bow. She watched for the ghost with the brightest light and the one that moved the most. When she had selected her target, she let fly.

Again the ghost crumpled and Nate finished the job. The lantern smashed and the blue flame drifted back to its torch just as the red one blew out.

The third ghost appeared and Saria once again shot at it. It vanished. This time it had six copies. When Saria located the ghost she shot at it, however it deflected the arrow into the ceiling.

Nate took this time to slash through two copies. The real ghost wailed a little bit. He slashed through the remaining three and Saria shot the ghost. This time the arrow hit and the ghost fell and once again Nate finished the job. When the red flame returned to the torch, as they expected, the purple flame vanished.

When the ghost first appeared, it was bigger and stronger looking than the last three. Nate scowled and Saria shot an arrow at it. It vanished with a giggle. It reappeared with seven copies and they began to spin around the two as they pushed into a back-to-back position.

Saria fired at the real ghost who stopped the arrow in its tracks, lit the tip, turned it around and sent it back. Nate and Saria both rolled away to narrowly avoid the flaming arrow. Nate went at the copies again, dispersing them and the ghost tried to stop him, so it was distracted when Saria fired at it again.

The arrow hit home and the ghost fell where the Master Sword ended it with a mighty wail and a ghostly laugh. Both fighters were shaken after the encounter and watched hesitantly as the purple flame returned to the torch.

All the flames seemed to grow in size before zooming towards the middle. Nate and Saria scattered again to avoid oncoming flames. This time, instead of ghosts with lanterns, they turned into a chest before returning to the torches like nothing had happened.

A rumble sounded and they turned to see a staircase fall from what had appeared to be a wall leading up to a massive locked door. The door was covered in shadows and evil pulsates off it.

"That's the final room." Saria murmured, her eyes locked on the door. "The monster that terrorized the Forest is behind that door. We need to end it."

"First we need that key." Nate reminded.

"The chest." Saria's eyes swiveled to the chest. "It's in the chest."

Nate pushed open the lid of the treasure chest and pulled out a solid black key with a massive emerald embedded in the handle. "This is it." He confirmed.

They ascended the staircase and stood cautiously in front of the door. The shadows reach out, as if trying to touch them. Saria flinched lightly.

"Ready?" She asked, bow in hand and her knives carefully stowed.

"Ready." He replied, his voice even.

They inserted the key in the lock and turned. The chains fell away and the door dissolved. Nate took Saria's hand in an act of reassurance and they strode through the door.

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_WORD COUNT: 4,172 words_

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**I'm sorry for the huge delay. It's what 11 days late? oops? In other words, I hope everyone is gearing up for Halloween! I haven't got much planned but it's still a fun holiday. School's been busy lately and I'm super sorry it's eating up so much time. More fights this chapter, and more almost deaths. More of those to come too. And the next chapter is the boss :) It would be nice to get a review every now and then though... :/**

**Next chapter will be: November 8th (I'll try to meet the deadline this time). Here's the next title:**

**Chapter V - The Sage of the Forest **

**Keep Fighting! **

**~ Hylia'sWarriorQueen ~**


	6. V - The Sage of the Forest

**A Hero's Journey – Chapter V – The Sage of the Forest**

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Saria and Nate walked into the room and both found their gaze drawn upwards. There was a massive pillar in the room, with a spiral staircase ascending around it. The stone walls were bare lower down, but at the top of the pillar they could see peeks of many portraits, but they were too far away to see the actual paintings.

"Shall we? I have no idea what's up there but I intend to go out with a bang." Nate flashed a grin.

Saria nodded. "We do this together. We have to free this temple."

Nate gripped her hand. "Let's move."

Together the pair ascended up the stairs. When they reach the top, they found themselves on a large pillar with ropes around the edges. The portraits they could just glimpse were now fully in view. There were six identical paintings of a gloomy and dark forest trail. When they stepped into the centre of the circle, spikes shot out of the ground, cutting off their only escape. Nate and Saria exchanged a nervous glance and looked over their shoulder at the trap.

When they turned back, a massive figure on horseback was in the centre of the room. They both stumbled back as the villainous Gerudo man let out a loud rumble of evil laughter. The man was obviously Ganondorf, but neither Saria nor Nate could put together why he was just waiting in the heart of the temple.

"Well isn't this just pleasant." Ganondorf cackled, his voice floating around the room ominously, not even coming from his body, which hadn't moved a muscle. "The goddesses won't even send their hero in to face me. It's just some puny Sage and some Hylian knight. How's this, you'll fight my phantom instead!" Ganon laughed again and the man in the centre of room finally moved.

The Phantom raised its staff and sent a bolt of lightning flying at the two. Nate dove to the right and Saria dove to the left and the bolt electrified the ground they'd been standing on just a moment before. Static shocks made the hairs on Nate's arm stand up and refuse to flatten. He rose to his feet in time to see the Phantom come charging at him, laughing like a maniac. He dove and rolled again and Phantom Ganon charged straight into the painting behind him.

Saria was at his side in an instant. She had the Hero's Bow in her hands, determination set rigidly on her face. They both scoured the room for any signs of Phantom Ganon.

"There!" They both exclaimed pointing to different portraits. They exchanged a glance and Nate cursed.

"How do we know which is the real one?" He asked, his tone frustrated.

Saria waited a moment, her gaze flickering back and forth between the two pictures. When the horse in the left painting started slowing down, Saria drew an arrow and fired it into the right picture. It struck the Phantom and it let out an ear-piercing shriek. It came out of the portrait in anger and fired lightning in all directions. Nate raised his sword and countered the electricity, grounding it.

Phantom Ganon disappeared into another painting and soon two images were charging through the painted landscape towards them. Saria focused, drew and fired into a painting. However her shot did not aim true and the false Phantom dispersed upon touching the arrow. She then turned and fired at the other Phantom, the real one. This time her aim was on par and the arrow struck it straight in the face.

The Phantom loosed another lightning bolt before vanishing again. Saria and Nate both rolled to avoid it. They repeated the steps they had taken to land a third arrow in the Phantom. This time after it fired the lightning at them, it remained out of the portraits and the horse abandoned it.

It was now hovering maybe ten feet away. It raised its staff and shot a bolt of concentrated power at the girl wielding the bow. Nate intercepted it and sent it careening back with his sword. The Phantom smacked it with its staff and it flew towards them again. Nate readied the Master Sword and with a strong slash, it sailed straight into Phantom Ganon who wailed and was stunned. Saria drew an arrow and shot him straight in the face.

He tumbled to the ground and Nate pounced, slashing with his sword and then the Master Sword. Ganon wailed in pain before rising up and readying another shot. Nate leapt back to Saria's side to defend her as he and the evil Phantom played 'tennis'. Saria fired another arrow and knocked him down. Nate charged and got in several good slashes, before he was blown backwards as the Phantom rose, new power shaking its form.

Both heroes stumbled back, Nate scrambling to get to his feet. Phantom Ganon kept its distance this time. The ball of energy came sailing towards them much faster than before. Nate raised his sword and the ball of light slammed into it. His feet slid backwards, his energy drained. With a final push, the light sailed back towards Phantom Ganon who batted it away without even flinching. Nate barely got the swords up in time to return it. It ricocheted off Ganon's staff and Nate once again had to block, his body quickly tiring. This time the light traveled so fast, Nate had to blindly raise the swords and hope that the energy hit him where he expected it.

The light went back and forth between Nate and Ganon. Nate was almost completely drained. With each strike he had to force his body to push it away as it screamed in pain. Each strike on his sword let jolts of electricity travel up his sword arm and into his core. He flinched each time a jolt hit him, the energy too strong for his body. His body tried to rid itself of the energy, but each shot went straight into his being, unable to be expelled.

Eventually Phantom Ganon stumbled from the force that the light returned with and was sufficiently stunned. Saria drew and fired multiple times. Each of her arrows shone green as they hit their target in the head, heart, chest, legs and arms. One arrow struck him in the hand and he was forced to drop his staff. It clattered to the floor and vanished in a flash of light. The Phantom howled in pain as it sunk to the ground in agony.

Saria watched from afar, in almost slow motion, as Nate charged and plunged the Master Sword in hilt deep in the Phantom's forehead. It wailed and began to glow brightly with white light. Nate leapt back so he was standing in the middle of the platform.

Saria's eyes widened as her vision came spiralling back to her. She saw Link in Nate's place performing the same move and jumping out of the way. She saw, both in the vision and in reality, Phantom Ganon fly upwards, screaming in pain as he let off one last fatal blast of energy. Saria saw everything tinged green as a magic shield surrounded her, but she still screamed. She felt heat sear her eyelashes through her shield and fear filled her heart for the boy not protected.

To save Link, the Hero, Nate had come into the temple with her instead so the Hero could live on. Saria hadn't even thought of the possibility that what she saw happening to Link in her vision could ever happen to someone else. When Nate had said he would enter the temple to protect Link, he had probably known that this fate would befall him. His selflessness had saved the life of the one destined to be the Hero along with hers, but had come at a high price. He would lose his own life to save another. Fear, panic and horror gripped her as she watched, helplessly.

"NATE!" She screamed his name in despair as the ball of energy struck him hard before he had a chance to block or run or dodge or anything. It sizzled as it was absorbed into his body. She barely saw the green glow surround him as worry turned her vision red. "No..." She whimpered quietly. When her shield fell and the attack dispersed, she bolted to his side.

He had fallen on his back, his armour so badly burned and scratched, it wasn't even silver coloured anymore. His clothes were smoking and his green eyes, closed. His face was covered in tiny cuts and there was a massive gash straight through the chest plate onto his chest that was bleeding profusely. She propped him up onto her lap and began to cry when he didn't stir. She watched his chest through her tears and only cried harder when it didn't rise.

She barely even noticed when a blue light surrounded them and the temple vanished before her eyes. The light cleared and they were suddenly in a beautiful land, where everything was white and full of light. Something in her knew exactly where she was and she threw her head back and screamed.

Her voice cracked with overdrawn love and pain. "Please! Please bring him back! I need him! The Hero, your Hero, will need his strength! Please!" She begged, her voice echoed through the Sacred Realm. "Nayru, Farore, Din, take pity please! Would you save the Hero to salvage the Princess' love? Please!"

Lights flashed in the Sacred Realm. Three divine lights, red, blue and green, shot down from the heavens. They took the forms of three beautiful women. Each woman had skin, eyes, hair and clothes of a different colour, red, blue and green. Saria felt her heart speed up as she looked up at the deities.

"Young Sage of the Forest do not despair." Nayru spoke calmly, her eyes full of soft beauty and love.

"Your loved one shall live. Ganondorf's Phantom struck him down, but you protected him from the worst of the blow." Farore explained.

"Your powers are blossoming young sage. You shielded yourself and managed to protect him enough, you took the fatal edge off the attack." Din added.

"I saved him?" Saria's voice was quiet.

Din laughed. "Yes child."

"Then why is he like this?" She asked, her eyes drifted to the unconscious boy's body. "Shouldn't he be awake then?"

Nayru frowned. "He will awaken soon. His body was put through an exhausting ordeal. Every time he tried to deflect an attack, he absorbed some of the Phantom's dark magic. His pure spirit is all that kept him alive in that fight."

Saria flinched at the goddess' words. "So he could have died?"

Farore smiled. "No my dear, his spirit protected him from the blackness. He wouldn't have made it that far without his spirit being that bright. He was never in any danger of dying in that fight."

"What about me? Could I have died?"

Farore shook her head, soft green curls flying into her face. "Of course not. As one of our chosen sages, your spirit was bright enough to return light to the temple, even as it was plagued with an evil perhaps as old as the Goddess Hylia herself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well have you heard the stories of Hylia and Demise?" Nayru asked.

Saria nodded. "Hylia, an eternal goddess was locked in combat with her foe, the being of eternal darkness, Demise. Eventually she managed to seal away Demise, but it drained her of much energy. She was only able to do so because she had help from a mortal man. She chose him as her Hero. After the battle with Demise, he was mortally wounded. She blessed his spirit and told him it would pass from generation to generation and would rise up as a Hero whenever evil arose."

Din continued the story. "Hylia's Hero died after that battle and it is said that she was smitten with this mortal who risked his life to help her, so she promised that she would be reborn as a mortal alongside him. Her descendants would carry the Blood of the Goddess. Hylia disappeared from the world that day and created a place high above the clouds for her people to live and be safe from Demise."

Farore took over to finish it off. "Thousands of years later, Demise began to break free of his restraints cast on by the Goddess and her Hero. It was time to awaken the Spirit of the Hero and the Blood of the Goddess. Their adventure to stop Demise began."

Saria glanced at the goddesses in surprise. "That's the story of the Hero of the Skies is it not?"

"Yes." Nayru confirmed. "It is also the story of the creation of Hyrule, the division of the Triforce between the Spirit of the Hero, the Blood of the Goddess and the Descendants of Demise. At the end of their fight, as the new Hero and the girl descended of the goddess sealed away Demise, he cursed them. He swore that their blood would forever be linked, cursed, that whenever the Spirit of the Hero or the Blood of the Goddess were reincarnated, a great evil, the Descendants of Demise would rise up as their opposition."

"Wait are you saying that we're fighting against the one that is the Descendant of Demise since Link carries the spirit of the Hero?" Saria asked, surprised filling her eyes.

Farore nodded solemnly. "Ganondorf holds the Triforce of Power and is also the descendant of the great evil. He must be stopped. You understand this my two young heroes?"

"Yes." Nate's voice was dry and tired, but very much alive.

Saria's eyes jolted to him in surprise. She'd been so wrapped up in the Goddesses' story, she hadn't noticed he was awake. He pushed himself up out of her lap so he sat in front of her.

"Thanks for saving me Saria." He said quietly. She smiled at him and took his hand.

"You awaken young one." Din said, affection growing in her voice. "You are still weak. May the spirits of the Great Fairies heal your wounds." Her hands ascended skyward and a great light flashed.

Tiny glowing fairies fluttered down from the heaven, landing on their scratches and wounds. The cuts healed themselves, the blood vanishing. Their clothes mended and any dirt stains or tears vanished in a swirl of sparkles. Nate's armour polished it's self and the gashes and dents vanished. When the fairies disappeared, their weariness disappeared as well.

"Thank you Nayru, Din and Farore." Nate said solemnly. The goddesses smiled at the two.

"Saria my dear Sage, have you understood what you must do now?" Farore asked.

"I think so." She nodded and stood. She was still holding Nate's hand, so they ascended to their feet together.

"I will send you to the Temple of Light now. The Chamber of Sages awaits. The Hero will meet you there. Perhaps you would like a moment to explain this all to your companion." Nayru informed her.

Saria nodded. The goddesses vanished in three flashes of coloured light. She turned to Nate. "We need to talk. I must explain something. We have rid the temple of its main source of dark power, however since the guardian of the forest, the Deku Tree, has long since passed, there is no light to keep the darkness at bay. We were also mistaken when we thought all the Kokiri were wiped out. Ganondorf merely imprisoned them within the temple. They were freed when we defeated Ganon's Phantom. I must help them. I must stay and offer my power to help rebuild the forest and rekindle the life, which struggles to live in the darkened woods."

"Saria are you saying what I think?" Nate asked, taking both of her hands in his.

"I must stay behind Nate. You and the others must go, move on and rescue the other temples. I will rejoin you when the time is right and I will definitely be there for the final battle. For now, my forest and my people need me."

"I need you too!" He protested.

"I'm always with you. In here," She tapped his heart softly. "Think of me whenever you need me and I will offer you all I am." Nate's eyes stared into hers, green meeting green.

He tilted her chin up and closed the gap. "I understand. When you go to the Chamber of the Sages to meet with Link, I assume I will be sent back out to our realm." Saria nodded and squeezed his fingers.

"I have to go. Be safe. I won't be there to heal you anymore." Saria smiled and both of them dissolved into light.

Nate appeared outside the temple in a burst of light and the other four ran to him.

"Nate!" Aria called as she hugged him.

"You're alive!" Sheik exclaimed as he studied him.

"Where's Saria?" Midna asked cautiously.

Nate's eyes locked on Link. Link's blue eyes glittered with understanding. Suddenly the Hero pitched forwards and collapsed in a heap. Nate ran to him and rolled him onto his back. He was out cold.

"What's wrong with him?" Aria asked frantically as she knelt beside him.

"He's paying someone a visit in the Sacred Realm." Nate mumbled.

In a flash of light, Link found himself once again back in the Chamber of the Sages. He looked around and noticed that Saria now stood on one of the pedestals. She smiled.

"Hi Hero."

"Saria! You're ok! I just saw Nate too. Does this mean you cleared the Forest Temple?"

She nodded. "However my powers are still needed here. I've found some surviving Kokiri and it is my duty to protect the forest until a new guardian is discovered."

"I understand. Will you rejoin us in the fight later on?"

"Yes. For now, you need two things from me." She pulled the bow and quiver off her back. "It's yours. That is the Hero's Bow. It has always been a weapon of the Hero in all your past lives."

"Past lives?" Link echoed in surprise.

Saria nodded. "You carry the Spirit of the Hero within you. You are descended of the original Hero chosen by the goddess Hylia. Make them proud."

Link nodded. Saria tossed him the quiver and the bow. He caught it and strapped them onto his back. It felt right, like they were made for him.

"Nate will return the Hookshot and the Master Sword to you once you leave this chamber. Return to the Temple of Time after this. Rauru will contact you from there and tell you which temple to go to next. He can't help you here because this is my realm of power, even within the Chamber of Sages and the Sacred Realm."

"I understand. You said there was something else you needed to give me?"

"Of course. Take this medallion. It shows my alliance to you and it will add my arsenal of power to yours." Saria lifted her hands and a green glow filled the room.

A green coin, no bigger than the palm of his hand, floated down towards him. It was printed with the insignia of the Forest Temple. He grasped it and tucked it into a pouch at his waist.

"Link! Before you go, one more thing." A glow filled the room. Link and Saria were both holding Ocarinas when it cleared. Link was holding the Ocarina of Time, while Saria held a simple wooden Ocarina. "Play this song whenever you have the need of my help. I will always answer." She played a quick three-note pattern twice and Link joined her. She nodded and the instruments faded. "Thank you."

Those words were the last he heard as his vision filled with light and the Chamber of the Sages disappeared, alongside his friend and Link was returned to his world.

* * *

_WORD COUNT: 3,340 words_

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**And I missed my deadline again... Oops... At least it's only a couple of days late. My friend from out of town was here recently and I've been super busy. But anyways, the fight with Phantom Ganon... How was it? I based it mostly on the Ocarina of Time fight and I hope I did it accurately. I also really like fluff if you haven't guessed. It would mean a lot to me if someone reviewed on this story. I've gone four, technically 5, chapters without one review... I guess I mostly just want to know if I'm doing this well... **

**Unfortunately my birthday is coming up soon, yes I just said that, and I'm going away for a while in the end of November and then December is busy with Christmas preparation and my band is prepping for a huge concert and then I go away for Christmas, so my next update will be sometime in January of 2015. I don't have an exact date planned yet, but till then, Happy Birthday to me, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Years.**

**I'll give you the next chapter title anyways:**

**Chapter VI - Kakariko Village**

**Till 2015, Keep Fighting**

**~ Hylia'sWarriorQueen/Nicole ~**


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